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Neisseria Gonorrhoeae and Neisseria Meningitides

Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitides are Gram-negative diplococci that have exacting growth requirements and cause different diseases in humans. N. gonorrhoeae causes genital infections while N. meningitides causes meningitis. Key differences are that N. meningitides has a polysaccharide capsule and produces pili, allowing it to infect the respiratory tract, while N. gonorrhoeae infects the genital tract and does not produce a capsule or pili. Additionally, N. meningitides can ferment maltose while N. gonorrhoeae cannot.

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Amador Gielas
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179 views3 pages

Neisseria Gonorrhoeae and Neisseria Meningitides

Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitides are Gram-negative diplococci that have exacting growth requirements and cause different diseases in humans. N. gonorrhoeae causes genital infections while N. meningitides causes meningitis. Key differences are that N. meningitides has a polysaccharide capsule and produces pili, allowing it to infect the respiratory tract, while N. gonorrhoeae infects the genital tract and does not produce a capsule or pili. Additionally, N. meningitides can ferment maltose while N. gonorrhoeae cannot.

Uploaded by

Amador Gielas
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Differences between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitides about:reader?url=https://microbeonline.com/differences-neisseria-gonor...

microbeonline.com

Differences between Neisseria


gonorrhoeae and Neisseria
meningitides
by Tankeshwar Acharya
2-3 minutos

Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitides are Gram


negative diplococci (kidney bean-shaped) with flattened sides.
They are characteristically found inside polymorphonuclear
leucocytes. They are non-sporing, non-motile and oxidase positive.

They have exacting growth requirements and do not grow on


ordinary media. Growth occurs on media enriched with blood or
serum like Chocolate Agar, Thayer Martin Agar and Modified New
York City Medium.

Some of the notable differences between them are:

Neisseria
Neisseria meningitides
Characteristics gonorrhoeae
(Meningococci)
(Gonococci)
Yes (has a prominent
polysaccharide capsule;
No polysaccharide and is divided in to 13
Capsule
capsule serologic groups on the
basis of capsular

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Differences between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitides about:reader?url=https://microbeonline.com/differences-neisseria-gonor...

antigens)
Yes (One of the most
important virulence
Pili Yes
factor; nonpiliated
strains are avirulent)
Portal of Entry Genital Respiratory
Male: urethritis,
proctitis

Female: endocervicitis,
PID (contiguous
spread), arthritis,
proctitis

Infants: ophthalmia
Meningitis and
Disease neonatorum meningococcemia
Otitis media

Sinusitis

Bronchitis and
bronchopneumonia in
elderly patients with
COPD

Glucose
Yes Yes
Fermentation
Maltose
No Yes
Fermentation*
Rare (Penicillin G is the
Β-Lactamase
Common treatment of choice for
Production
meningococcal infection)

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Differences between Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitides about:reader?url=https://microbeonline.com/differences-neisseria-gonor...

Yes (Conjugate vaccine


Vaccine
No and unconjugate vaccine
available
is available)
* The differentiation between Neisseria meningitidis and Neisseria
gonorrhoeae is made on the basis of sugar fermentation:
meningococi ferment maltose (MM), whereas gonococci do not.

Tankeshwar Acharya

Hello, thank you for visiting my blog. I am Tankeshwar Acharya.


Blogging is my passion, I am working as a lecturer and
Microbiologist at Department of Microbiology and Immunology,
Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur. If you want me to
write about any posts that you found confusing/difficult, leave in the
comments below.

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